Day 194 Hipparella Cinderotamus

June 21, 2015

(This is part of a 365 project
during my 70th years where I write and illustrate a blog on each
day’s gift.)

Father's Day 1982(?)

Thirty-five years ago, after my first marriage broke up, I
was dating several men and enjoying a transition in my life. One of these men was
David. He wrote poems and long letters to me and delivered them to my mailbox
after he got off from work nights at The
Sun. Once I found a unicorn at my door. It’s not surprising that I sensed
there was something special about this man.

These sensitive, romantic and quirky things might have
endeared him to me, but what really clinched our relationship was when his
young daughter and her stepsister visited us from Florida. I had known David
before as a crazy neighbor who lived in the apartment below mine, but I had
never seen him in his father role before.

I saw his excitement at their arrival, how he brushed long
tangled hair, how he made face plates for meals and how he planned everything
for their enjoyment. It never seemed to be merely a chore or responsibility for
him. His love was obvious.

I believe that how fathers treat children says more about a
person than anything else does. What I observed made me sure of the right choice
for a future partner and father to my child. It has proven to be a good choice.
We had a daughter together and then his daughter moved in with us. Within a year,
I became a mother twice.

As our daughters grew up, David played Candyland and Chutes
& Ladders with them, packed school lunches, went on amusement park rides
with them, did silly things that made them laugh. He made me laugh as I
listened to him tell bedtimes stories of Hipparella Cinderotamus and windshield
vipers. But, most important, our daughters know that their father loves them
unconditionally. That is the greatest gift any father can give to his children.